Jota reveals belief he held in Wolves switch

Diogo Jota admits he and Ruben Neves left themselves open to criticism back home by deciding to drop into the Championship with Wolves.

The Portuguese wing wonder initially left Pacos Ferreira for Atletico Madrid and suffered during a month of gruelling pre-season training under Diego Simeone.

"Simeone is one of the hardest people to do a pre-season with," he told the Independent.

"We woke up at 7am – small breakfast, then the golf course. No one was playing! You just have to run, run, run. Then a proper breakfast before 20 stations in the gym. There was training in the afternoon – tactical touch and go drills, but in your position. There was a guy throwing up in the first training session. That happens if you are not ready. He helped me understand the way Atletico works. Of course, you cannot like the way they play but what they do, they do very well."

He joined Wolves on loan for the start of last season before making a permanent switch for around £12m in January 2018 and helped Nuno Espirito Santo's side to the Championship title.

Jota added: "Many people in Portugal criticised me - and Ruben (Neves). They were saying 'you are going from a Champions League club to a lower division in another country, are you crazy?'

"I said, 'No, I believe in the project and then, if everything goes well, like I expect, next season you have the reason'.

"Fortunately everything went well, and we are here now, and everyone understands now. Me and Ruben have improved as players and now no one doubts our qualities."

This article originated on sportinastorm.com

Simon Barlow has a wealth of journalism experience and in-depth knowledge in a number of sports. As well as his extensive football knowledge, Simon is also well versed on cricket, tennis, American Football and cycling amongst others.

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